What is the logical response of any sane, law abiding person when they see police officers sniffing around their vehicle? Yup, low grade panic, mild swearing and a rush to go out and make sure that said vehicle isn’t in violation of some obscure rule that makes no sense at all.

I have to say, apart from the case above, I’ve been quite lucky at my current workplace. Seeing as how it’s something of a ‘special’ area, the traffic wardens that have been pissing people off all over the country have only recently bothered coming into the area (something about being chased out with pitchforks the first time they tried it), and the peelers weren’t exactly ten a penny on foot patrol either.

Unfortunately – as some would see it – that’s changed recently. Once this week the red coats have been out ticketing on the road, and they got the girl at the counter of my local chippy. While I was being served. Not a good thing.

And three times this week, the peelers have been out paying close attention to cars outside the window. Once because one had a broken window; once for an unknown reason, and once because they want to scare people.

Yup, they’re actually going round with a clipboard, peering into each parked car and cataloguing any valuable items. Which will then be listed on an official letter and sent to the registered owner of the car.

So not only are they giving lots of people worry now, they’ll also be worrying people in the near future, when unsolicited envelopes from the PSNI come through the letterbox. And then more worry when they point out how much crime they’re “inviting upon themselves”.

And there was me thinking that the police were meant to provide a reassuring presence…